


Fauxrents

by littlerumbird



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/M, Imzadi (Star Trek)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27057082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlerumbird/pseuds/littlerumbird
Summary: Set about 9 weeks before the events of TNG Season 4, Episode 3 "Brothers." I realized there were more than two months between the events of episode 2 and episode 3. After watching the opening scene of Brothers, I headcanon hard that Will & Deanna have been co-parenting, or rather faux-parenting, Willie & Jake Potts for a while now. All aboard the crazy adventures of our favorite imzadi Space dad and mom as they jump into a job they weren't quite prepared to handle.
Relationships: William Riker/Deanna Troi
Comments: 24
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

Sometimes, Deanna Troi reflected, it was rather convenient to be one of the few people on board with access overrides to any room. The captain had that privilege, of course. Will, as First Officer. Worf for security purposes. And both she and Beverly had access in case of emergency.

She’d received the call over her com badge from Will not seven minutes ago. They had planned dinner together in Ten Forward. But she was only halfway through her Sumerian Sunrise when he’d called to say he would be late and wasn’t sure how long he’d be delayed. His voice had sounded odd, and it was enough to draw her from her seat and ask the computer for his whereabouts.

It took her to deck twelve, section four, room seventeen. The Potts Family quarters. “Computer, security override Troi-Delta-Two-Nine,” she stated firmly. On the other side, she could sense Will and both boys. And whatever was going on, Will seemed to be feeling uncertain. And maybe a little amused. And a bit concerned.

As she moved beyond the small foyer into the main family room, Deanna took a wide arc to get a full picture. Jake looked up as she entered, and he immediately dropped his gaze and became very preoccupied with the carpet of the deck.

Will Riker was half wedged behind a couch in a way that looked, and she sensed truly was, downright uncomfortable. His right leg and half his torso were behind the couch, left leg lifted slightly for counter-balance. His right shoulder was behind it, and he was currently trying to use his body as leverage to push the furniture loose. Except it was engineered to stay in place. Tumbling furniture during siege was a liability. On some level, she knew that he knew this.

But there was a whimper of protest from behind the couch that told her exactly why he was trying to do to this himself.

“You know,” she mused with a sigh, “This isn’t even the strangest position I’ve found you in.”

It was teasing, and perhaps this really wasn’t the _right_ moment for it. Deanna was fully aware that Willie was alternating between distressed at his inability to wriggle out from, well, whatever had him stuck. And she was acutely aware of Will’s irritation with _over_ -engineered-Starfleet-standard-issue sofas.

His head lifted slightly, dark eyebrows arching. “I have better positions,” he countered, gaze raking over the teal dress she’d chosen for dinner tonight. The one she was well aware she was wearing the hell out of. The chuckle was warm and she could sense the short burst of memories flickering through his brain. And his appreciation for the very immovable couch keeping him from something perhaps less appropriate in this moment with two boys in his care.

“He’s stuck, and I’m more stuck,” came a disembodied protest from somewhere in the corner, halfway behind the couch. “What’s so funny?”

With a purse of her lips, Deanna arched her eyebrows in a perfect imitation of Will. _Perhaps you’d care to enlighten him._

 _You were the one that brought up the subject,_ he countered, eyes narrowing.

_I merely commented on the awkwardness of your position. You’ve gotten yourself in plenty of predicaments over the years. And you’re the one that took the comment and interpreted it in a suggestive manner. I’m not explaining your lustful thoughts to a seven year old. I doubt his parents would thank either of us. Humans get so uptight about the subject._

“I think my foot’s asleep,” came a protest from the corner.

Deanna calmly took a seat in the unoccupied chair and tapped her own com badge as Will turned back to the sofa again and continued to prod at and tap at the sides of the furniture in search of something to help him. She could sense this wasn’t a new search, and she could also sense that he wanted to strike it but was holding that urge in check because he didn’t want to startle Willie. “Troi to Data.”

“Hello, Counselor,” came the modulated voice. “Do you require my assistance?”

“Deck twelve, section four, room seventeen as soon as you’re free,” she answered calmly, rolling her eyes at Will’s huff of irritation. It was bruised ego that he couldn’t manage it on his own. It was his own fault. He could have—should have—called a while ago.

“Of course, I will be there in three minutes and twenty six seconds if I have correctly calculated the current timing of the turbo lift.”

“Thank you,” she replied, smoothing her skirt. “Please let yourself in. Troi out.” Shifting slightly, her gaze fell to the only Potts child that she could properly see. “Alright, start at the beginning.”

The toe of Jake’s boot dug idly into the carpet and pressed into a small circle. “Well, we finished dinner and put the dishes in the reclamaitor. But it wasn’t bedtime, yet. So we were playing, and Willie climbed back there and, well, he kind of got… stuck.”

It didn’t take years of psychology courses or hundreds of hours logged in sessions to spot the evasion. Or note that the older of the boys still had yet to look at her when talking. Deanna knew he thought she was beautiful, but she was used to this initially from humans—particularly from human men. And she was also aware that Jake Potts was still young enough that he probably didn’t even completely recognize the nascent signs of attraction. He wasn’t sure what to do with the interest her appearance piqued in him.

And it was entirely beside the point right now.

“I asked him for help with my homework, and he threw my stylus behind the couch,” came a slightly mumbled retort from the younger of the boys still wedged beyond Will.

Jake’s head popped up at that and he scowled at the corner. “You kept poking me with it. I _told_ you I would help you with your homework when I finished mine first—”

“You were taking too long!” Willie protested.

Dark eyes glared at the corner. “Calculus is _hard_.”

“ _Pre_ -Calculus,” Willie retorted.

“You don’t even know how hard it is! You haven’t even started algebra, yet!”

“ _History_ is hard, too!” the younger boy yelled back.

“Hey,” Will called, “Time out, we’re not having a shouting match in here. If you’re too angry to talk about it, then take a break. Jake, do you have any other homework?”

Jake was now avoiding Will’s gaze, too, and again hyper-focused on the very bland carpet. “Yes, sir,” he relied quietly, pressing his hands together nervously.

“You should go to your room and work on it. If you finish, then you can clean up your things that were scattered all over the place this morning,” Will ordered in full First Officer mode. With a small grunt, he managed to free himself from his spot behind the couch, rubbing his hipbone where it had been jammed against the sofa for the last minutes. He rounded the couch and glanced down as his youngest charge. “Can you cool off and hang tight a few more minutes?”

A muffled yes was the reply.

Will twitched his jacket to straighten it and brushed back his hair. _This isn’t working._ He began pacing the floor impatiently, too worked up to simply sit down. The fact that he was losing patience was saying a lot. Unfortunately, Deanna hadn’t spent much time on the bridge today. Whatever had happened today on shift, it was obviously wearing on him. These were the sorts of evenings when they would grab drinks in Ten Forward and take long walk on a holodeck program.

She gave a slight nod, her gaze following Jake as the older boy stalked toward the room he shared with his brother. At the door way, he had glanced back and then quickly skittered inside when he realized that both officers watching him closely. _They’re too young to be expected to care for themselves._

“Where the hell is Data?” he muttered, turning back to regard the sofa again. She could sense that he was fully doubting himself now. Doubting his decision. And trapped by it now that the parents were three days into deep space travel Even if they were called back to the Enterprise immediately, it would take at least two days even if the Enterprise went into warp to meet them

“Will….” Deanna warned, sensing his rising frustration flaring in him again. She pushed herself to her feet and crossed the room. Her fingers wrapped briefly around his upper arm as she passed, offering support, before she knelt on the sofa and peered down at a thatch of dark hair. “Willie, how, exactly, did you get in there?”

The boy’s mouth screwed up in thought. “I bent down to get the stylus, but I couldn’t reach it. So I tried to go behind the sofa, but the space was too small. And then I tried to climb under the couch, and then… um, I couldn’t get out?”

There was much more to the story, and it rather amused Deanna that the child clearly had no clue that his emotions were so transparent to her. She decided not to tip her hand for now. “You mentioned playing and homework…” Her gaze wandered the room now, surveying the mess of blankets and cushions, along with several toy spaceships and building and construction sets spread in various places, a half built something or other on the dining table, and various other items strewn about. “Will, did the lounge look like this when you came by this morning?”

He gave a short shake of his head. “Not this bad,” came his answer. “I told the boys that they needed to clean things up when they finished classes today.”

“We forgot,” came the forlorn answer from the floor.

The adults exchanged a look. Clearly there was a lot to discuss. _Later, without our audience,_ Will thought in her direction. Whatever else he might have been preparing to think or say, it was interrupted with a chirp of the door, followed by Data.

The android entered the common room, golden eyes scanning quickly before his head gave its customary tilt. “Counselor Troi, you indicted that I might be of assistance?”

Deanna uncrossed her legs then reversed their arrangement. “Actually, Commander Riker could use some assistance. It seems his youngest charge has found himself in quite the predicament.”

“I’m stuck!” came the forlorn voice. “And my foot kind of hurts.”

Will pushed to his feet and glared at the sofa. “I tried to move it, but it wouldn’t budge.”

Data moved forward at that, examining the side of the sofa that was easily accessible. “It certainly should not _budge_ ,” he informed. “The overwhelming majority of the furniture aboard Starfleet ships is designed to stay secured and in place as a safety feature. It would be impossible to move such an item without disengaging the safety features. In fact, you would be as likely to injure yourself attempting to move anything without disengaging it.”

Somehow Will resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but he couldn’t help but give Deanna a look of exasperation. “Data…would you please show me how? Time is becoming an issue if his foot is hurting.”

“Of course,” came the immediate reply. He found the seam of the fabric and after a few moments pulled back one corner revealing a small access port. “Each piece of furniture has its own release mechanism. It is quite simple to disengage.” Two quick taps, and a soft click later, and the android gave the side of the sofa a tug pulling it over a half meter to the right. “The newest updates to furniture in Starfleet include an improved design that is modular and built in.”

“Too bad we missed out on those updates,” Will muttered darkly, moving to help Data but stopping short when he shifted and his hip ached again.

“The portions of the ship most affected by the Borg were fitted with the newer design. However, the majority of the damage was not to the private quarters of the crew. Replacing all of the furniture would have delayed our return to our mission for many more weeks. I do not think the architects and engineers fully accounted for the capricious games of a child when choosing the current design.”

Will gave a small shake of his head as he lifted the boy out of the corner. The grunt and a twinge of pain betrayed that the child was heavier than he’d expected. Deanna grimaced in sympathy as he settled Willie on the sofa and crouched down. “Which foot?”

“This one!” A booted foot lifted so fast that Will was nearly kicked in the nose.

Deanna rose and gave Will’s shoulder a squeeze. “I’m going to check on Jake.” _I’m glad you have good reflexes,_ she added before glancing over to their co-officer. “Data, thank you for your help.”

“Of course,” the android replied. “Shall I assist in re-arranging any of the other furniture in these quarters?”

She gave a small smile at his misunderstanding of the situation. “No, thank you. We hadn’t planned to re-arrange anything. But I’m glad to hear that in the future, perhaps there will be less of a chance that someone will be stuck behind furniture.”

Data’s eyebrows lifted slightly, and he gave a nod. “You are welcome. And I would agree that it does seem improbable that a person could be trapped behind the newer models of furniture, as there would be no gap between it and the bulkheads.”

Her smile widened a bit more as she turned toward the boys’ bedroom and the more serious matters ahead of her. She would much rather be polishing off a sundae in Ten Forward right now, but Will had taken on a responsibility. And while it wasn’t _exactly_ her role to step in or rescue him, as a friend she wanted to be supportive. After all, that was what friends were for. He would do the same if their positions were reversed.

It took over an hour and a half to divide and conquer finishing homework and getting both boys through the sonic shower and into pajamas and bed. It wasn’t a pretty or tidy. Jake was still frustrated and struggled with any resilience as Will tried four different approaches to explain the equations. Deanna had only a slightly easier time because Willie’s history work was reading, however he continually interrupted his own pace with off-topic questions. The boys hadn’t agreed on a book for bed time, either. Will had finally taken over reading and held firm on one chapter before turning out the lights.

Deanna had managed to find the nightlight and gave Willie a kiss to the top of his head and tucked his blanket a little tighter around him before turning to leave the room and promptly tripping over a wayward boot. She caught herself before falling and bit back a huff as she returned to the lounge and dropped onto the sofa beside Will.

“They need more supervision,” Will sighed, his head falling back to rest against the back cushion. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“They need _parenting_ ,” she corrected around a yawn, “And you were thinking there wasn’t room on the shuttle for Jake and Willie. And,” Deanna added, shifting and closing her eyes, “that such an important special assignment was too urgent to put off and no place for children. It didn’t make sense to uproot their lives for only eight or nine weeks. It was well meant…” She tried to motivate herself to get up and go to her own quarters to her own bed. And the sheets with the extra high thread count that her mother had sent from the Fifth House… “I’m about to fall asleep right here…”

His arm wrapped around her, fingers finding that one spot in her shoulder that was tight. “You should go… I’m taking the couch in here tonight.”

“Why not the main bedroom?” Deanna asked, not bothering to open her eyes as she made a soft noise of approval as he continued to work at the knot in her shoulder.

Another sigh, “It feels weird to sleep in there. It’s their room… It seemed…”

“Inappropriate?” she queried, eyes blinking open.

“It’s their private quarters,” he objected, straightening a little more.

“I can appreciate that you’re trying to be… respectful,” she answered. “Rooms are a refuge. That said… I don’t see how it makes more sense to cram yourself into this sofa that is several feet too small for you.” Deanna blinked up at him and didn’t fight another yawn working its way out. “But we should get some sleep first. Tomorrow we can figure out our schedules, make sure one of us is here with them in the evenings and overnight.”

His head shook slightly. “Deanna, I can’t ask you to give up your free time for nine weeks.”

“You didn’t ask,” she pointed out. And it’s a two-person job at the very least. Jake is so anxious about this situation.”

“He did a great job for the first two days,” Will murmured, letting her take his hand from her shoulder and wrap it around her waist, her fingers threading through his.

“I think your opinion of Jake matters a great deal to him. He respects you… Looks up to you. And he feels guilty. I think he feels like it was all his fault that Willie got stuck. Even if you and I know it was inevitable—they’re so young…” Her eyes drooped shut, and she gave into another deep yawn, tiredness winning out against the luxury of her own soft mattress.

Beside her, Will shifted her giving her more space to curl against him, her head coming to rest on his thigh. “I thought babies were what wore out parents,” he muttered, everything slowing and the words muddled with sleepiness. “Worse than two ensigns squabbling over bunk assignments.”

She murmured her agreement even as her body was drifting too rapidly to care that she was in her uniform. That her quarters were far enough away her brain didn’t want to waste the energy to calculate it. Not caring that it was all going to be waiting in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by Brothers but also by the chaos of Worf trying to parent Alexander and Deanna trying to help him through it. Will and Deanna are really fun to write as fauxparents, who definitely are for sure totally not in a relationship right now. Also I really adore Deanna when she's stubborn almost as much as when she has these idealistic ideas of parenting. And I love protective Will even more than mischievous Will.

Will Riker hadn’t expected dinner to be anything like one of the case studies in Deanna’s child psychology textbooks. But he _had_ expected that they all might have more conversation than the farce of a conversation currently happening. Frankly, he had been in meetings with obstinate cadets that were more comfortable conversations.

 _Will,_ Deanna chided silently from across the table. Her eyes narrowed in rebuke as she speared another bite of vegetables. “Willie, I thought you liked dinosaurs. It seems like you would’ve enjoyed the lesson in your sciences class today.”

The younger boy huffed as he swallowed a big drink of his milk, a white moustache lingering on his upper lip. “But Miss Ka’laxan told us to pick one time with dinosaurs. But when we went on the holodeck to see some dinosaurs, they had T-Rexes and stuff with brachiosaur... sauruseses,” he stumbled over the mouthful of a word.

Deanna’s head tilted slightly in thought “But those aren’t... from the same time period?” No doubt she was as rusty on pre-historic earth science as Will was.

“No!” Willie exclaimed, “ _Allosaurus_ was in the same Jurassic era with brachiosaurus! It was sixty _million_ years apart for t-rexes in the cretaceous!” He plunked down his cup in emphasis and a little bit sloshed out.

Will lifted his eyebrows silently at the counselor while he polished off the last of his meal. He took his napkin and wiped his mouth before folding it over and cleaning up the spilled milk. “Jake, how did it go today with calculus?”

The older boy shrugged indifferently and too large of a mouthful of his supper that was a clear attempt at not having to talk. As much his brother might be blunt and suspicious, Jake was too aware of things to think his stall would work. When he looked up and saw Deanna’s ‘patient counselor waiting’ face, the boy chewed for several moments. “I… kind of don’t want to talk about it… do I have to right now?”

“No,” Deanna assured with a small smile. “Thank you for being honest. If you change your mind, we’d like to hear.” She set her own napkin aside and took a few minutes to sit back and watch as both of their charges finished eating.

It didn’t escape Will’s noticed that Jake continued to stall, now in taking his time with the last bites. His gaze flickered between both adults while Willie continued his dinosaur soap box where he had left off. It was only when Willie tried to bolt the last of his milk and get up that Will finally broke the tension. “Hang on,” he said quietly. “I want to talk to both you—Deanna and I want to talk to both of you,” he corrected himself, giving her a tight smile. “I should’ve been around more than I have in the first few days, and I’m sorry for that. It’s going to change. It has changed as of last night. At least one of us will be here in the evenings after we finish shift and to sleep here in case either of you need anything.”

“And we’ll be here in the mornings to help you both with things—getting up, breakfast, getting off to school,” Deanna picked up. “Jake, you did a very good job, but you shouldn’t be expected to be your brother’s parent.”

“Yeah,” Willie interjected, bottom lip pouting. “He’s _not_ my boss.”

“You should continue to be your own boss,” Deanna answered firmly. “We wanted to sit down with both of you to talk about expectations moving forward. What’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable. And to answer any questions you have.” To anyone who didn’t know her, she seemed at ease. But he knew she was carefully reading and noting every reaction and emotion.

“We already have some rules,” Jake began.

“Too many rules,” his brother protested, his arms crossing and forehead creasing.

“What sort of rules?” Will asked. Their parents had left a few notes—their school schedules, a few activities, and of course Beverly had medical files if anything were to come up. He knew their bedtimes, but after talking with Deanna today he had realized how much hadn’t been covered.

“We’re supposed to do our homework when we get home—”

Willie shook his head, “Not always, sometimes we can wait.”

“ _You_ wait,” Jake retorted. “We’re _supposed_ to do them when we get to our quarters after school or extra activities.”

Will nodded. “That’s one of the expectations Deanna was referring to. If you need help with your homework, whoever gets here first will help you with it. But you need to give it your best effort first. Sometimes we need help with our work, too, and our crew mates help us. We still have our own responsibilities, though.”

“Your parents left a bedtime schedule,” the counselor continued, “And you’ve followed that pretty well. So I don’t think we need to go in-depth with it. We’re glad to read some a story at bedtime, too, but since you couldn’t agree on which one last night, I picked. Next time, we will ask the computer to randomly pick who gets to choose.”

“Willie can pick next,” Jake spoke up quietly as he began to settle into his seat, relaxing bit by bit. “It was probably his turn anyways. Mom and Dad have us take turns.”

“Thank you,” Deanna said. “So Willie will pick next, then you.”

“Then me,” Will threw in with raised eyebrows when both boys’ heads turned to him in surprise. “I grew up with a lot of great myths from the tribes in Alaska. I haven’t read them in a long, long time.” He didn’t remember his father doing much in the way of a bedtime routine. Or much of a set bedtime or a father around to reinforce a bedtime. Will had often been exhausted by the time he dropped into bed from a day at school, playing sports, trombone, and homework. But when it was too cold for even hockey or hiking, he’d often ended his days with stories. And his favorites were still the ones his friend’s grandmother would tell them in winter around a real fire. The Tsosie family had been the closest thing he had to a family.

 _Will?_ the query was uncertain, wrapping warmly around him. “And you’ll both need to make a better effort to pick up your things before bedtime. I tripped over some items after reading to you last night. And I could’ve hurt myself.”

That certainly caught his attention. Will’s brow creased as he glanced between both boys and back to her. _You didn’t tell me that last night,_ he protested.

_You’re overprotective sometimes. They’re children, they were off to sleep by that point, and we were both exhausted._

“Anything that isn’t picked up is in danger of being recycled in the replicator,” Will added firmly.

“You can’t throw away our stuff!” Jake protested, mouth dropping open in surprise as he sat bolt upright. “What if it’s something we need?”

“You can replicate a new item if you need it for school or do extra things to earn back items that aren’t a necessity,” Will answered calmly. “I won’t allow you to endanger the counselor, myself, or anyone else. It only takes a few minutes to clean up after yourselves, and you’re both old enough to do that.”

Willie was glaring daggers. “You can’t do that to our toys! What about stuff our parents go us? I’m gonna tell them you’re throwing away our stuff.”

“That’s not what we’re saying,” Will countered, leaning forward against the table. “As long as you put things away, you’re not losing anything. But you need to take care of your things. Leaving things out means they get stepped on and sometimes broken or damaged.

“Alright,” Deanna interrupted, hands raising in attempt to hold off the escalating emotions. “But Will and I reserve the right to collect anything you leave out. You can earn them back by doing extra chores or responsibilities. Or you can go without them until they are returned. Computer, set a reminder at twenty hundred hours to pick up all personal items in the Potts residence.”

“Please specify frequency of reminder.”

“Daily,” Deanna clarified.

“Reminder has been set,” came the prompt reply before a long moment of silence in the room.

The boys exchanged wary glances before Jake finally asked, “When will our stuff be returned if we leave it out?”

“Forty eight hours,” Will replied promptly. They hadn’t discussed this, but it seemed reasonable, and the slight nod from Deanna confirmed she was on the same page. They could do this, she had assured when they had met at lunch to talk through most of this in Ten Forward, as long as they were in agreement. They had to figure out how to keep a united front. _So far so good._

Deanna steepled her fingers now, in the way she did when she was feeling confident and straightened further in her chair. “There is one more thing we wanted to discuss, and that’s the way you treat each other. We’re setting some next expectations for that, too. When we’re all together, we’re _all_ going to use kind words and calm voices. There were a lot of raised voices last night, and a few tonight already,” she added pointedly though she only gave Willie a short glance. “It’s okay to be upset about something. Or to need to step away to calm yourself down or work through your emotions. But we all deserve to have a calm place we can go to at the end of the day. And this bickering between you two is not acceptable.”

It was clear that Willie wasn’t thrilled at this news, but Jake shifted in his seat and was clearly absorbing it. “We don’t mean to do it,” Jake finally mumbled, eyes dropping to the table.

“That’s why we’re here to help you,” Will answered calmly. “You’ll get a warning, but if you don’t make changes after the warning, you’ll have consequences. You’ll lose some of your time on the holodecks or have to go to bed early. You don’t have to go to sleep until bedtime, but you’ll be sent to your room to read or sleep.” He relaxed a little more into the seat now that the biggest issue had been addressed. To his left, Jake had nodded and was the closest to relaxed that he had been since Will had first met with the boys and their parents and agreed to this plan in the first place.

Willie was finally starting to come around, but he was now tracing his finger along the edge of the table. Whether he was bored or what, Will couldn’t tell. “So… are we in trouble?”

“No,” Deanna promptly assured. “We haven’t really set expectations beyond that your parents expect you to behave as you normally would. It’s easier to follow rules, though, when you know how people expect you to act. Do either if you have any other questions?”

They both shook their heads before Willie asked if he could go play now. Will wasn’t naïve enough to think that this meant everything was okay. But it was a start.

 _It’s all they can handle today,_ Deanna thought at him, and he nodded. “First, did you both finish your homework already?”

“Yes,” Willie answered, wrinkling his nose.

“Jake?” Will asked the older boy.

“I finished everything in class today.”

“Then, Will and I thought you might like to go to the holodeck and have a swim. There are a few programs to pick.”

Both boys were quick to agree and rapidly their dishes and remnants of supper in the replicator. Will gathered his plate along with Deanna’s and deposited it in the replicator before programming a pair of swim trunks for himself and towels for four. As he turned, he was surprised to see Deanna come back into the dining area.

“I thought we were going to the holodeck?” she asked in confusion. “Where are Willie and Jake?”

He swallowed back a laugh and tossed a towel in her direction. “I think you’ve forgotten an essential item, Counselor.”

The towel hit her lightly, but she caught and draped it over her arm. “Toys?”

“Swimwear,” he clarified succinctly, holding his serious expression for a long moment before laughing. “Humans generally wear swimwear when swimming. Although you’re certainly free to do what makes you comfortable.”

Deanna’s dark eyes rolled as she brushed past him and brought up a short list of options before selecting a modest one piece in cobalt blue. “Water is organic. _Humans_ are a little uptight,” she countered, claiming her suit and joining him and both boys as at they left their quarters.

 _Don’t let me hold you back,_ he teased. _I said you were free to do what makes you comfortable._

“Will,” she warned.

Both boys stopped short at the turbo lift and glanced up at her, confused by her words and tone. Willie, in particular, was scrutinizing them both.

“Will, uh, don’t forget to be sure the sun is on a program setting that won’t make us burn,” she managed, although Jake gave both of them a confused glanced as they stepped into the lift. As Deanna brushed past Will, she gave his sleeve a slight tug. _You’ll pay for that later, Will Riker._

“Deck three,” Will ordered before glancing down to Deanna with a smirk. _Is that a threat or a promise?_

Another roll of her eyes was the only answer for now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if this is part of Interstellar Oceans or will become an AU. It's definitely fun to play with, and no I haven't forgotten it. Thank you for all of your kind comments. I cherish each one.

It wasn’t surprising that the corridors of the Enterprise were empty at zero twenty, but Will didn’t realize exactly how tired he was until he passed Deanna’s door and nearly gained his and realized he was supposed to be three more decks away. To where she was staying with the Potts boys several decks below. Running his hand over his beard in frustration, he went ahead and entered his own quarters. He might as well take a quick sonic shower, change into his bedclothes, and grab a fresh uniform for in the morning.

Thus far, he was nearly a week into life as a parent-by-proxy, and things were settling a little. The boys were getting better at doing their homework and having it mostly completed by the time that either he or Deanna met them in the evenings. Deanna had found a few activities to better cover the gap between the end of the school day and shift changes.

They’d discovered that the boys liked playing various games and enjoyed swimming, which they had previously only done on shore leave. So at least twice now, including in the earlier evening, they all went for a long swim after dinner. It wore out the boys, and it was a good stress release. And besides, he knew Deanna enjoyed the water, even if she still thought it was weird that humans insisted on swimsuits. He would never stop teasing her about that.

He tried not to think about how nice his bed would feel right about now. The Potts quarters did have the main bedroom, but it still felt too strange to sleep in a couple’s bed that wasn’t his. The couch wasn’t nearly long enough. More than once he found Deanna asleep on it before he was ready for bed. And he envied how she always seemed to curl so neatly on it. It was about time to check with Data or Geordi about other options because he’d spent half the day with an aching back from trying to fit himself onto the sofa.

Perception, Will reflected, really was a strange thing. It felt like it took twice as long to walk to the turbolift, go three more decks down, and walk two corridors than it had taken for him to leave the bridge and get to his own quarters. The distance was only a little further, but the family corridors were silent this late.

This particular call out so late at night was a two-part issue. The first was a yellow alert from a dicey situation with the region of space and a borderline-hostile and certainly not friendly ships patrolling the region. He had managed to smooth things over without an actual incident and without needing to rouse the captain, who had been working far too much in the last weeks and needed sleep worse than Will. He’d asked Data to call him first tonight. And although it was the most pressing to the overall wellbeing of the ship, it had turned out to be the easier of the two issues needing his attention.

Once the alert was over, a call had come up from sickbay requesting senior staff. Will had turned over command to Data and dutifully made his way down. When he had walked into the ICU area, Will found the doctor on duty with four surly looking patients.

Ensign Sa’Naar was glaring at the floor, his left eye swollen shut. Starling and Ulani were two other ensigns, both fresh out of the academy and on their first assignments. Just new enough and resembling one another enough that Will still struggled to distinguish them from the other. One was being tended to by a nurse who was mending something in his hand. The other screened for internal injuries. And the ever-eager-to-prove-herself Von Treaes was sitting in the farthest bio bed protesting that she was _fine_ in an uncanny mimic of the way Deanna usually handled her stays in sickbay. With no more success than the counselor, either. As she was clearly unable to get up from the table without assistance.

No one had wanted to talk for long minutes. In the end, it took the report of the security officer on watch tonight and a few previous odd reports to piece it together. And Starling had broken first, pulled into a private room. Twelve questions in, and the whole story behind the overly competitive ensigns had unraveled.

All four were confined to separate private cubicles in sickbay while they rested. Tomorrow he’d have to investigate everything. He had no issue with blowing off steam. Or friendly competition. There were plenty of tournaments during the course of any given year for all sorts of games and sports. But a fight ring on Deck 28 in some empty storage bays made Will’s blood boil. There was nothing sporting or okay about knocking each other senseless.

For now, though, his initial anger had burned off. It was far past time to be sleeping. He could only imagine what Deanna and the captain were going to have to say about this. That was a problem for tomorrow. Or at least six hours from now.

He’d fully prepared to have to move Deanna before he fell asleep on the couch in the Potts quarters. In fact, he was really looking forward to her familiar weight and warmth resting against him. He swore he slept better with her beside him. In all honesty, he was tired of the couch, though. It was too short and forced him to scrunch into awkward positions. Sending him twice to sickbay for a head ache caused by pinched nerves in his neck one day and muscle spasms in his back on another. Easily remedied by Beverly… but even she had questioned why he was putting himself through it. The simplest answer was that he had been too busy during the day to deal with a better bed solution.

The lounge was silent. Lights still on as they had been when he was called away a few hours ago. He trudged on toward the low light still on in the boys’ room, and he was fully prepared to lay down the law about how they _had_ to go to sleep. Deanna would be wiped out in the morning, and she was never a morning person as it was.

But he found everyone deeply asleep. Both boys and Deanna, still in her maroon suit, were on Willie’s bed in a big cuddly pile. His breath left him in a rush. It wasn’t something he had known he’d ever wanted until he saw this. This small slice of domestic normalcy.

For long moments he wondered what it would’ve been like. If he’d said yes six years ago. If he’d met her at Risa. If he’d tried to make it work. If he’d turned down the Potemkin. If he had done anything to pursue what she had so clearly wanted. What he had feared. And now he was feeling foolish and wondering what, exactly, he had feared. If they would’ve had a kid already. Probably not right away. But in six years, they might have had one.

And he might have screwed that up, too. Or messed up a kid along the way. Probably not the same way his father had… but the specter of that lurked.

He was so, _so_ tired. But he couldn’t drag himself away just yet. He was trying to absorb this moment and the way that Willie was sprawled across his bed, his hand curled around Deanna’s arm, reaching for assurance even in sleep. The boy’s pillow was damp with drool. And Jake was curled up, his back to Deanna’s. But still close enough to seek the warmth and comfort she offered.

A family to come home to, even if it’s only temporary. Why the hell did he run from this?

He wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to seek out his own comfort tonight. Rubbing his face and beard, he made his way to the far side. Jake was lean for his age, not that Will was complaining. His arms slid under knees and shoulders, and he lifted quickly and moved the older boy to his own bed a few feet away. In retrospect, he should’ve pulled down the covers first. But Jake wasn’t complaining.

It was going to be a tight fit with both him and Deanna on the twin bed, but he was determined to make it work. One down, one to go. He carefully eased Willie’s hand from Deanna’s arm and tried to shift her without waking her.

A hand caught his arm and a groggy protest. “ ‘was warm,” she mumbled, eyes still closed.

“Sssh, I’m moving him over so I can sleep—”

“Not fair to kick him out of his own bed,” Deanna countered groggily. She pushed herself up, blinking owlishly and clearly attempting to muster the energy to get to her feet and trudge to the other room.

He sighed but nodded, his brain too tired to figure out how this was going to work now. But he slid an arm around her and let her lean on him as he tugged the blanket back over the youngest boy and led her back to the lounge, calling for the lights to dim. Will planned to tuck her into the sofa, but she caught his arm and pulled him down to the cushions.

The last days since they had suddenly taken on parenthood, each night seemed to end with both of them too exhausted to make many decisions. Maybe it was better this way. So he went with it and stretched out, trying to find a cushion to support his head and neck.

In moments, she was curling into the spaces left. Her head tucked under his chin, weight shifted somewhere atop him and supported by the back cushions. Reaching awkwardly and trying not to move her too much, Will snagged the blanket from the previous night and managed to get it more or less over Deanna. “’s that ok?”

Silence was his answer. She had fallen back to sleep as quickly as she had awakened. Almost alarmingly quickly. And it occurred him that this wasn’t keeping any kind of boundaries between them. But his thoughts were hard to hold onto right now. Because she was warm. And here. And it felt like something he imagined marriage to be. But before he could turn over that thought to examine it, the day closed in over him. And he slept.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had no idea this chapter was going to be this long. TBH, it gave me ALL the feels to write. Thank you to everyone who has left such kind comments. I hope you all enjoy.

Willie Potts had never actually been in Ten Forward before, but he knew kids weren’t usually allowed. One of the guys in the green and black uniform (that was different from the medical uniforms) had walked up to him and Jake and Will and Deanna like he was going to stop him. He’d looked at them for a long time, even though it was probably only a second or two. And then Will had said they were with him, and they were nodded in.

When they had talked about it yesterday, Deanna had said this was an _art show_. But he didn’t see any shows. All Willie could see was a lot of pictures hanging up and adults talking about boring stuff and a big table with a lot of snacks that he’d veered toward until Deanna said they could have some in a little while. Which probably meant not at all because that’s what grown-ups usually said when they really meant no. But he also thought maybe he could play along right now, and then maybe she and Will would get busy talking to other grown-ups and he could sneak a few things to eat.

Right about the time he thought that, Deanna had given him that _look_ that she sometimes gave him and Jake, and even sometimes gave to Will. And it was almost like she knew what he was thinking because she moved them all to the other side of the room.

Some of the pictures were of mountains and other places on planets. Some were impossible pictures that had stuff you’d see on a planet and outer space stuff all together in one piece. He didn’t really like those.

“Willie, what do you think about this one?” Deanna had asked in her _let’s think a while_ voice. He tilted his head like she had. She was smiling, which probably meant she really liked it. Except he didn’t like it, and his nice shirt they’d had him put on was itchy at his neck, so he pulled at it some more. “It’s just a bunch of colors.”

“All paintings are a bunch of colors,” his older brother answered, sounding annoyed.

When Deanna looked back at the picture, Willie stuck his tongue out at Jake really fast and crossed his arms. “But that’s all that there is. A bunch of colors. I could’ve colored that. Pictures are s’posed to be _about_ stuff. Like what you saw, so you can remember it.”

Will draped his arm around Willie’s shoulder. “Abstract art isn’t my thing, either… Why don’t we let those two enjoy this while we check out the windows. It’s the best view of the space anywhere on the Enterprise.”

Dark eyes glanced over both of them. “Watch yourselves at the buffet, you two. I don’t want to ask Beverly for a midnight house call because the boys made themselves sick.”

The younger boy’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. He’d only _kind of_ been thinking about the cookies and crackers and drinks of all colors on the table across the room. Besides, it wasn’t even sort of near the windows that Will was leading him toward.

It took a little bit to get through everyone. They would step one way, around someone, only to find someone else nearby. And so many people wanted to say stuff to Will. And some of them looked a long time at Willie, but others acted like he wasn’t even there. Some of them were talking about other stuff, some if it sounded really boring. And some of it actually _was_ boring because it was about the pictures. Willie didn’t see why _anyone_ would spend a bunch of time only looking at pictures, so he finally squirmed away and found a spot where there weren’t really many people and he could look outside the windows that were as tall as the room.

The stars were going by fast, but not as fast as they did when the ship was going at highest speeds. Warp, is what he knew it was called. Tugging at his collar and scratching under it, he sat down on the floor in front of the window and watched the planets and stars whirling past.

“Care for some chocolate milk?”

Willie had to twist a little to look up at the lady in dark green robes and a funny-looking hat, who was holding out a cup. He nodded and took it, enjoying a long drink as she sat down in a chair beside him.

“You’re a little under the height requirement for Ten Forward,” she said, though it wasn’t mean, and she wasn’t giving him that look like the other person had when they first came in.

“Will and Deanna made us come with them—my brother, Jake. And me.”

“Oh,” she said softly, eyebrows raising as she relaxed a little in her seat. “You must be Annika and Kressler Pott’s boy.”

His eyes narrowed a little, and he gave her a long look again. She merely looked back at him, letting him do all the watching he wanted. Usually when Deanna looked at him like that, very still, she asked a question. Or asked what he was feeling or thinking. But this lady seemed like she had a whole year to sit here. “How do you know my mom and dad?”

“They visit here sometimes. Usually sitting in the table by the bar,” she waved toward the table, but he didn’t feel like getting up from his spot on the floor. “I heard they were on a short sabbatical, something about her work in xeno and astrobotany.”

“Yeah,” Willie answered slowly, still eyeing her. “I don’t know why _dad_ had to go, too.”

“Your dad is a civilian, but he’s very helpful in his research methodologies and systems organization,” the woman answered. She nodded to the empty chair across from her. “Why don’t you join me at the table? I bet it’s more comfortable than the floor.”

He turned to look over both shoulders and found an ocean of legs of adults. “Maybe when I finish my chocolate milk. Deanna doesn’t always let us have too many snacks and stuff. And how come you know so much about my mom and dad?”

The woman’s smile spread a little. “Well, I’m Guinan, and I run Ten Forward. So I know pretty much everyone on the ship. And I think the counselor will allow some chocolate milk. She knows that chocolate is a serious, and she likes to treat herself every now and then.”

He stood at that and finally picked up his cup and set it on the table before sliding into the chair. She looked even friendlier up close. “I’m Willie Potts.”

“Nice to meet you, Willie Potts,” she answered seriously. She nudged a small plate with some treats toward him. “I think Commander Riker meant for you to have these.”

Willie twisted around in his chair, but all he could see was people that he didn’t know. So he stood on the seat and pushed up on his toes, looking all around. Will was tall and easiest to see, next to the Klingon who was about as tall but talking to someone else. Will finally glanced to him and gave him a small smile and a wink. He laughed a little, and looked around to see if he could find his brother and Deanna. They were still looking at art, and he ducked down before Deanna could turn around and look for him.

Grabbing the biggest cookie, he took a big bite, deciding he should start eating before someone stopped him. His second bite was taken before he’d finished swallowing the first.

“Slow down,” Guinan advised, nudging the milk closer again. “If you choke on a cookie, you’ll have to go to sickbay and miss out on the rest of it.”

He slowed down a little, chewing a long time on those first bites before swallowing. “You don’t act like the officers,” he finally said, looking over her hat and long, flowy clothes as he alternated between the cookie and a cracker. Sometimes Jake would get mad at him for staring, because it said it was rude. But Jake and Deanna and a bunch of other people stared at the pictures a lot, and that wasn’t rude.

“Well, that’s probably because I’m not an officer. I’m not in Starfleet. I’m a civilian, like your father.”

He nodded in understanding. “What planet did you come from? We’ve learned about a lot of planets in my class, and sometimes people from those planets that are on our ship come and talk to us about what it’s like to live there. But I haven’t seen anyone that looks like you on the planets we’ve learned about.”

“I’m El-Aurian, so you probably haven’t learned about my world. Where are you from?”

He chewed and swallowed another few bites. “Oh, well, my parents are from earth and from Taularian IX. We’re human. But I live on starships and only visit planets sometimes.”

Jake Potts wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting when Deanna and Will talked about an art show, but so far it looked like paintings. As long as it wasn’t calculus, he didn’t mind, though. He’d sort of hoped he could hang out with Will, but the tall officer had already moved quickly into the crowd of people with Willie. And that left him with Deanna.

She’d given him a warm smile and threaded her arm through the crook of his like he had with Will when they’d walked from the elevator to Ten Forward. For some reason, it made him stand a little taller. And maybe feel a little more grown up.

Deanna and Will both seemed to know a lot of people. Like everybody. He had known that they knew some people. But Enterprise was a _lot_ bigger than the last ship they’d lived on. The Resolute only had a few hundred people on it. It had been a ship for science and studying stuff. There hadn’t been many kids on board, and he kind of liked that there were more families here.

“What do you think of this piece?” the question was patient, but Deanna was using that voice that reminded him of his teacher when she’d already asked him something but he was too busy thinking about something else to answer right away.

Jake’s eyes widened and he looked quickly at the picture. “I… don’t really know,” he admitted, his face warming.

She nodded, turning her gaze more to the picture than him. “You know, sometimes I find I need to look at a piece for a while before I know if I like it. Or what it makes me think or feel.” Deanna was quiet for a long moment before she gave her head a slight shake. “I think it’s kind of peaceful.”

He nodded, deciding she probably knew better than he did. “The blue is kind of relaxing. And the green. Our classroom has a lot of those colors in it.”

“Mhmm,” she agreed, accepting a drink that someone had handed to her with a quiet thanks before adding, “Blue is usually a peaceful color. It can also symbolize loyalty and trust.”

“In Starfleet it means science.”

She nodded. “That’s a newer meaning for the color. And green, you mentioned that. It’s meant a lot of things, and I think it needs context.” When Jake clearly looked uncertain, she added, “You need to know the situation or circumstances to know how to interpret it. For example, it can mean jealous or envy. It used to be a symbol sometimes of money. One of the major civilizations on earth for many centuries was the United States, who used special green cotton paper for money. But it can also mean growth, cultivation, and life.”

Jake moved a little closer now that some other people had moved on. He walked up close and then took a few steps back like he’d seen other people do. “I think maybe it means _speed_ or going forward. That’s kind of like growing, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” she agreed, her smile growing. “Shall we look at another piece, or would you like more time with this one?”

“Maybe another minute. I like it when there’s not as many people around.”

Her gaze scanned the area slowly. “There _are_ a lot of people here,” was her thoughtful agreement. “Does it bother you? We don’t have to stay the whole time.”

He shrugged a little. “I kind of like seeing all the different people. But it’s a lot people. I think I’m still getting used to it a little. I like watching them, but not always being with so many people… if that makes sense…” He trailed off, not sure he was explaining it very well.

Deanna nodded but didn’t ask anything else. And he thought that he kind of liked that she let him decide when to talk more or to be okay with no more talking. “Sometimes I like to take walks by myself to have some quiet. Sometimes Will goes with me. And sometimes he sends me on a vacation.”

“Doesn’t he go with you?” the words were out before Jake realized that might not be something he could ask.

But she smiled. “Sometimes.” The way she said it was mysterious, but he felt like he was going into something that his dad would say was too personal. “How about we move onto that next painting?”

The next one was far less crowded now, but Jake was suddenly remembering he had a little brother, who he hadn’t seen in a long time. A little brother who sometimes got himself into trouble. “Should we check on Willie?”

Her hand settled on his upper arm, giving a gentle squeeze. “Jake, you can relax. Will and I are responsible for your brother. You don’t have to bear that yourself. And he’s fine… actually, I think he’s started on some sweets. But fine.”

He still found himself searching the room, and Jake couldn’t figure out how in universe she could _know_ that. “But I can’t see him…” And even if Deanna was an adult, there were a lot of people taller than her around, so he didn’t think she could really see Willie, either.

“My friend Guinan, who runs Ten Forward is over there. And she’s looking down at the floor where Willie was going, and she’s talking to someone. I know that look—she’s found him. And I imagine they’ll have a very lively conversation going soon. Will is over there,” she nodded behind her and over her left shoulder. “And he’s found a cup of synthenol and probably a salty snack. And he’s going to spend the evening talking to people instead of looking the paintings because he’s less interested in art than in people. And he came for people, not for art, and because he knows I like art, and it makes him happy to see me very much enjoying an evening like this.”

By the time she finished, Jake knew his mouth was open in surprise, but it took him a long moment to close it again. She was giving him that smile that meant she _knew_ things. And… she did know things. “Why does he come if he doesn’t like art but just likes people?”

“To support his crew, Jake. And because he’s a very good friend to me and knows that as much as I enjoy art, I’ll also really enjoy it more when he and I can spend time talking together at a table afterward. He’ll probably find some chocolate ice cream for me. And pretend to be annoyed that I like chocolate more than him.”

As they were moving to the next painting, Jake shook his head slightly. “I don’t think my mom likes anything more than my dad.” He wondered a moment later if he’d said something he shouldn’t have. It felt like he shouldn’t have. “I thought married people liked each other best?”

She had been looking at the painting but now turned back to him. “Jake, Will and I aren’t married.”

“Wait… what?” It brought him to a stop because he’d thought they were married. They held hands and hugged, and they talked to each other like his parents did.

“We’ve dated before. But we’re friends. He’s my best friend, and I’m his. But we aren’t married.”

The way she said it meant there wouldn’t be any more talk about this. That much he could figure out. He wanted to say he was sorry, but she didn’t exactly sound like it was something to be sorry about. Not exactly. And it still didn’t make sense to Jake because Deanna and Will _like-liked_ each other. Like his parents liked each other. And he didn’t see why they couldn’t be best friends _and_ get married.

She wasn’t looking at him anymore, though. She was looking at the painting again and sighed. “You know what? I don’t think I really like this one. Shall we move on?”

And there wasn’t much else to do except shrug and follow her around the room to other paintings and to try to study them when other people came up to her to talk or say hello.

“Is it almost time to go now?”

Will glanced over to his young charge and gave a small smile as he nudged some cheese and crackers toward the boy. He’d cut Willie off from sweets about half an hour ago, and Guinan was only willing to serve up water at this point. “Almost.”

“It’s just a bunch of pictures. It’s so boring,” Willie Potts sighed, his legs swinging freely from the tall chair in Ten Forward that was not built for his smaller stature. He was slumped in the seat, and he wasn’t going to last much longer. 

“It makes Deanna happy. And I like to see her happy. It’s not hurting us to stay here a little longer and enjoy some snacks.” At least he hoped not. He was serious about liking to see Deanna happy. He knew she’d probably take some more time in the coming days to further peruse the art during some free time. But tonight was the night to really have opportunity to appreciate it and to talk with the artists about their work.

“But you don’t like it, either,” the boy responded pointedly.

Will couldn’t help the small smile. It was probably what he would’ve thought when he was seven years old. “Caring about people and supporting them means that you show up and do things. You show up for them, and you show up with them. Even if you aren’t really into it. Besides, my friend Data painted some of those pieces. And he takes his art very seriously. He would be disappointed if I didn’t show up.”

It might not be exactly true—Data would argue that disappointment was an emotion and that he was incapable of processing emotion—but Will knew he would at least be confused or have questions if Will had not shown up. It would’ve taken a serious ship emergency to keep him from attending tonight. A bored child did not qualify as an emergency.

His elbow was on the table, chin resting in his hand as he indulged in openly watching Deanna enjoy herself. It was rare that she divide her attention between chocolate and anything. But she had been studying Data’s smallest painting for a while with Jake as she worked on a chocolate mousse that had looked far too rich when he had passed it up at the buffet.

She was wearing a deep purple dress tonight and heels, and she had taken about half an hour to arrange her hair after dinner. But it was worth it when she gave him that grin as the turbo lift opened onto Deck Ten and she took his arm as effortlessly as breathing.

It was occurring to Will that they had fallen into their roles as a couple automatically. As instinctively as he had sought her a few nights ago, wanting her close even if it had been the middle of the night when he made it back and pulled her from the boys’ room. And at the moment, he tried to push aside the fact that in about nine weeks, Annika and Kressler Potts would be back. At which point they’d go back to… being just Will and just Deanna.

And in that moment, her gaze skimmed Ten Forward and landed on him, head tilting in question even as she was giving an answer to something Data had said.

He tried to give a reassuring smile, but at the same time he was increasingly realizing that Willie was fading fast—in interest, which had only been in Guinan and the view—and in his capacity to handle himself as a child in a room full of adults. “Let’s go rescue your brother and head home.”

The crowd had thinned over the last twenty minutes or so, and it didn’t take long to join Deanna, Jake, and Data. Will had to hand it to Jake because the older boy had been able to handle himself well throughout the evening. He seemed to actually be interested in the art, and whatever serious conversations he’d had with Deanna, Jake had clearly taken time to think and answer thoughtfully.

“Data, great work as usual. You’ve really grown in your skills and expression,” Will congratulated, giving the android’s shoulder a light chuff. “I think it’s time that the counselor and I get the boys in to bed.” The next day was a day off for school classes, but this evening clearly needed to wind down soon. Besides, he had a split shift tomorrow during the last half of alpha and first part of gamma. The boys and Deanna had some time scheduled on a holodeck.

It took several long moments to finish their conversation with Data and then excuse themselves from the rest of the gathering. Jake had actually stepped forward to shake Data’s hand and compliment him on one of the pieces in particular before they were guiding the boys out. It didn’t escape Will’s notice that everyone’s steps were slowing as they walked down the corridors out of the turbo lift and toward family quarters. As the door opened, he found himself giving Jake’s shoulder a squeeze and guiding him in. “Pajamas and brush your teeth,” he directed, glancing toward the new couch that had been installed the other day and would pull out into a bed long enough that he could stretch out and not have to fall asleep with his back wedged between cushions or his body twisted into uncomfortable angles. Last night he’d managed almost seven hours of sleep and had even out-slept Deanna, who had nudged him awake at zero seven hundred and offered a cup of coffee on her way to see if the boys were awake, yet.

And now it was the day in reverse. He could see her energy slowing as she started to unwind from the mental and emotional energy of socializing. She might be warm and great at conversation, but she also needed her down time and was used to having plenty of time relax before sleep. He thrived on the energy of the party, but she needed some time to herself.

They were using the main bedroom to change, so he followed her and changed into his own night clothes while she made use of the sonic shower. Will snagged her abandoned boots and grabbed his own and moved both pairs to the small entry area near the main door to the family quarters. It was easier to grab if either of the ended up on a late call. So far, Deanna had been lucky in not having to work odd hours or a crisis. Which also told him the crew was doing well overall.

One of the boys had left a PADD in the lounge, along with balled up socks. They _had_ set some clear rules, but tonight they’d also been out of the residence during the normal time when the reminder would come on. So he opted for grace and collected those things and dropped the socks into the replicator and knocked on the door to the boys’ room.

When no one answered, he leaned forward, trying to hear anything coming from inside. “Jake? Willie? Can I come in?” He _could_ open the door. As a safety feature, doors to children’s rooms did not actually lock. Even if they did lock, he had overrides. But so far, he’d very deliberately observed their need for privacy. But he was sure they weren’t asleep, yet. And they weren’t fighting, or he would’ve heard it by now.

Before he spoke up again the door slid open, revealing Willie clad in blue sleeping trousers with constellations decorating them but no shirt. He looked a lot smaller than he had merely minutes ago or in Ten Forward tonight. Big blue-gray eyes stared up at him, and they were welling up.

“Hey,” Will said softly, “what--?” He crouched down, and he was nearly bowled over when the boy rushed forward and burst into tears. Will sat down hard, and reached out, pulling the boy in close. It took a little adjusting so that he could sit with his back against the bulkhead and hug the crying kid close. “It’s okay,” he murmured quietly, glancing around the shared room and not finding the older boy. But he did see a wrecked three dimensional puzzle on Jake’s night stand, pieces no doubt scattered on the floor below it. He inwardly cringed at the thought of accidentally stepping on a stray piece with his bare feet. Surely not even a Klingon rite of passage would be as painful.

Whatever had upset Willie, he knew this wasn’t the moment to ask. Not quite yet. So he held him close and rocked him gently back and forth. “I’m right here,” he murmured, keeping the deep pressure. “Let it out, it’s ok.”

He wasn’t sure how long it was before Jake stalked back into the room and moved to his own bed. The older Potts boy pulled back his blankets and climbed in, back against the headboard and his knees hugged in close.

His plan had been to try to talk to Willie when the boy calmed down, but seemingly out of nowhere, the younger boy was crying even harder. This time it was enough that the boy’s face was red, and he was coughing and gasping between cries. Will didn’t care that his shirt was wet or that it had snot on it. But he didn’t want the kid so upset that he threw up because that wasn’t going to help him feel any better.

“Hey, hey, slow down a second,” he directed, voice calm but firm. “I need you to take a slow breath for me…” When that wasn’t quite cutting it, Will got himself to his feet and picked up the boy and carried him into the bathroom. He seated Willie on the counter, one arm around him still as he continued to cry against Will’s chest. “Come on, I need you to take some deep breaths. I know you’re upset, but slow breaths…”

Deanna joined them before he could say anything else, calmly finding a washcloth and running it under cool water in the sink. It was the exact thing he was about to search for, but it freed Will up to continue to hug the boy and rub his back in slow circles.

“Breathe in with me, ok? In, just like that… in a bit more,” the first few attempts were rough, still broken by cries and coughs. But by the fourth breath, Willie’s breath hitched but he was taking longer breaths and calming a little. “Good, and out, two, three, four, that’s great,” he encouraged.

Deanna’s hand was on his own back now, rubbing in comfort, and she was leaning against his side to give support and sending a rush of warmth. Of course she’d known when he was on the edges of his reserves. The night was getting later. The boys were past their bedtime, which hadn’t helped.

He eased Willie back a little, one arm around the small shoulders for support. “Keep taking deep breaths, this should help you feel a little better,” he assured as he began to use the cool cloth to wipe down the boy’s forehead and cheeks and his nose.

After a few moments, Deanna handed over a cup. “Willie, sweetheart, you need to drink a little bit of water. You’ve cried a lot,” she said gently, her fingers brushing lightly through his hair. “I asked Jake about it, but he seemed upset, too.”

“I… I m-m-miss my mom,” he sniffled, words muddy with congestion from all of his crying, eyes dropping to the floor.

Deanna’s eyes were welling with tears of sympathy, and she sighed. “Of course you do.” Her hand rubbed his arm, trying to offer comfort as he took another hitched breath and leaned in against Will again.

Willie’s arm jerked away reflexively, drawing back from Deanna’s attempts to soothe him.

“It’s normal to miss your parents,” Will assured, hand rubbing over the boy’s back again. _I think I should’ve cut him off desserts sooner,_ he silently admitted to Deanna. If he’d really thought about it, he would’ve realized this moment was inevitable. Hell, he’d talked to countless cadets in the academy, fresh out of the academy, non-commissioned officers, commissioned officers, and civilians dealing with missing family or homesickness. Or both. It was always the worst at night, worse yet when they were already tired or not feeling well. “I missed my dad when he used to go away for work.”

_Oh, Will…_

He glanced into the mirror to see dark, watery eyes meeting his. Tears were already falling down Deanna’s cheeks, and she wiped her face quickly. “I miss my parents, too sometimes,” she added, her voice thick. She tried to offer another assurance to the child, but Willie merely squirmed from her and pressed his face harder against Will.

She stepped back in surprise and practically turned on her heel to move back into the bedroom. No doubt to check on Jake. She was blocking him, but he’d caught a surge of hurt that had surprised her as much as anyone. It was frustrating because he wanted to go after her, knowing she wasn’t okay. But he still had a child who needed help. Who he was responsible for.

Willie was quiet now, one hand clutching at a handful of Will’s shirt, the side of his face resting against Will’s chest. Body going limp.

“A little better now?”

The boy could barely manage a shrug.

Will pulled him into a deep hug again, holding him for long moments before Willie gave a sigh. “I know it’s awful. It’s hard when they’re not here. But Deanna and Jake and I are here with you, and we’re going to take care of you until they’re back, okay?”

“Y-yazian in my, uh.. my cl-class says boys d-d-don’t cry,” he muttered, face flushing.

“Boys and men cry all the time,” Will answered firmly. “Hey, hey, look at me, okay? Because you need to know this.” He gave the child a moment to straighten before Will took a half step back, gently cupping the boy’s face and tilting it up lightly until he was sure he had his full attention. “I cried a lot when I was your age and my dad was gone, too,” he swallowed the lump in his throat. It was something he hadn’t thought about for a really long time. That he didn’t much like to think about. But this was too important. “And I cry when my feelings are really hurt. And when bad things happen. Being a boy or a man doesn’t mean not feeling anything. If we can’t cry, we can’t really laugh or feel other things, either. Don’t ever believe someone who tells you that boys don’t cry. Do you understand?”

The dark blond head nodded, and he blinked slowly.

It took a few more moments to urge him to take a few more sips of water and ask if he needed to use the restroom before bed. When the answer was a groggy no, Will made an arbitrary decision and picked him up again, rubbing his back as he carried him to his bed. He sat down much like he had earlier, this time with his back against the headboard and Willie an increasingly sleepy bundle against his chest. His thumb pressed a gentle pressure between the boy’s shoulder blades.

Jake still didn’t seem quite himself, but he seemed calmer as he had now settled into his own bed to actually sleep, Deanna finishing fussing with the blanket she was adjusting around him.

“We’ll see if we can set up a call with your parents tomorrow,” Deanna called softly, reaching over to turn off the light on Jake’s bedside table. He’d noticed that the scattered pieces of the model had been collected into a neater pile on the floor. _Later,_ she sent to him. _They’re both missing their parents, but it’s manifesting differently._

“Yeah, I bet Geordi can help us set up a secure line. His parents were in Starfleet, too. He grew up on spaceships, but usually his parents were on different ships. So he knows what it’s like, too, to miss his parents,” Will kept his voice low and tranquil, hand continuing to rub slow circles over Willie’s back until the boy’s breath went deep and even, body lax with sleep. It felt nice to have things back to calm, and he relaxed against the pillow and headboard, his cheek resting against thick blond hair.

He wasn’t sure how long it was before the bed dipped slightly, Deanna coming to join him as she moved in on his right, curling against him. Her lips pressed into a tenuous smile, her fingers brushing damp hair from Willie’s forehead. “Hey,” he murmured, a glance to the other side of the room confirming that Jake had fallen asleep, too.

“I should’ve seen this coming,” she whispered apologetically, giving Will’s arm a squeeze. “Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long to happen…”

He moved slowly, easing his arm free from Willie and making sure he didn’t jostle the sleeping child. His hand found hers, and his fingers threaded together. “You can’t anticipate everything. No counselor or empath could have known when this would happen,” he assured. “Willie had a great talk with Guinan, and Jake seemed really into some of the paintings…”

She shifted a little, her head coming to rest on his shoulder, her hand pulling free of his to rest on Willie’s back. “He has an eye for art. It’s nascent. But he has an appreciation for it…”

It didn’t escape his notice that she was trying to offer Willie the comfort in sleep that he’d rebuffed earlier. She was damn good at her job. But not everyone wanted the care she offered. Deanna Troi prided herself in building trust and rapport. And on the rare times it was rejected, it always surprised her. For the most part, she could roll with the rejection from adults. Knowing so that many of those adults were struggling with their own demons and years of reinforced patterns of thinking and behavior. But when children didn’t trust her or open up to her, she always took a little extra time to absorb it.

“If you need to go your room tonight to have some space or to be alone for a little while, you can. I can handle things…”

She seemed to be trying for a smile, but it simply didn’t appear. “Will, you could handle this entire sabbatical without me.” Before he could protest she continued, “Alright, you’d need a little help with logistics because your job is unpredictable. But look at this—you are good with people, all ages. They feel at ease with you, and you were there with him in the moment. You didn’t rush him through it, you let him have his emotions…” Whatever else she wanted to add simply didn’t come out as she swallowed hard and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Hey,” he started, but she eased back a little, wiping her cheeks quickly. “Deanna—”

She shook her head and swallowed again. “You’re so very good at this…you’re so good with people. Of all ages. It’s very touching to see.”

It was more than that. He knew it. And he knew that she was aware of that. He moved carefully, easing Willie down to his own bed. Blankets were tucked around the soundly sleeping boy. There were still a few tear stains on the child’s cheeks, and Will’s sleep shirt was a mess. But he merely eased Willie’s favorite stuffed animal in beside him and turned on the night light before ordering the rest of the lights off and following Deanna back to the lounge.

They fell into the habit of Deanna pulling aside and stacking the cushions while he pressed the controls to unfold the bed and pulled out the extra pillows and her extra blanket that she kept because she was always colder. On impulse, he pulled off his night shirt and tossed it into the replicator without bothering to get a new one. He was warm anyway, no doubt partly from holding Willie for so long. He finally took a seat on the bed and sighed. “Do you want to talk about it?”

The answer might default to no. Normally, he had some idea. But between what they’d just dealt with and that she was still blocking him… She had settled into the nearby chair, arms wrapped around herself. He wanted very much to hug her, but he was going to let her decide when she wanted that.

“It’s not an epiphany,” she began, voice still lowered, even though both boys were soundly asleep a room and short corridor away. “When he said he missed his mother, I… ah, realized, that as much as we’ve fallen easily into the roles, we’re not his parents. Only guardians.”

“Parents by proxy,” he countered, gently, making himself comfortable enough to have a talk but not too comfortable. It wasn’t time to sleep, yet, and getting too relaxed would lead to that. She needed to talk.

A shrug was her initial reply, eyes searching the wall behind him, then focusing on the middle distance. “We fell into these roles so quickly, and I didn’t think about how easily we would get emotionally tangled up with them… with each other.”

He swallowed at the words and ran his hand through his hair. “I’m not trying to manipulate your feelings—”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she quickly assured, hand gesturing to wave off the thought. “It’s never been like that between us. But the circumstances threw us together so fast. We’ve tumbled into bed—shared a bed or a couch—for how many nights now?” After a long moment of quiet, her head tilted and she looked at him directly for the first time. “Jake thought we were married, Will. It’s felt a little like we were. We’re playing house, and this is making me realize that, eventually, their parents will come back and we’ll…”

His eyes widened for a moment, and he let out his breath as he leaned back. Exactly the thoughts that had hit in earlier in Ten Forward. “Yeah…” His hand rubbed over his beard as his mind began playing out options, running through them like his mind automatically began running strategies when he was playing chess. There were some plays that he loved because they extended options. Some he liked for the flourish of showing off his skills. But this was tied up in their emotions and futures.

While he enjoyed many casual relationships, he knew not to play games in matters of the heart. And he couldn’t and wouldn’t do that to Deanna. “If you need to take some space, to sleep in your quarters or the main bedroom from now on, I respect that.”

Her gaze fell to the floor for a long moment before giving him another watery attempt at a smile that never made it to an actual smile. “I want to stay here. With you… It’s just that… I’m not sure that’s fair to you, either. It’s not your job to be my emotional support. I don’t want to take advantage of our relationship."

“Is it taking advantage if I want you to stay, too? If we’re both okay with this, even as short as it will be… isn’t that enough?”

It was a question for which neither of them seemed to have an answer.

Will let out a sigh and shifted as he stretched his legs a bit. “You said I’m good at this, but you are, too.” Before she could protest, he continued, “kids get mad at their parents and pull back from them from time to time. You stepped away when you were upset and let it remain about him and his feelings. You’re very good at your job, too… I think… I think we’re both better at this together.”

Whatever else that might mean, she didn’t seem to have the capacity to continue the conversation right now. So she sighed. “We’re often better at things as a team.” Deanna pushed herself slowly to her feet and moved toward the fold out bed now. To him.

He offered his hand, palm up. “Do you want to talk about the other things? … that upset your earlier?”

Her lips pressed together in a thin line, though she offered her hand and let him draw her gently down beside him into the blankets and pillows. “I’m not ready to talk about all of it right now,” came her rough answer, curling against his left side and resting her head against his chest. “Could… could we just rest here a little while?”

He took a moment to tug a blanket around them, ordering the lights down. His hand cupped her head, arm crooking a bit to make her more comfortable as she curled against him. “Yeah,” he breathed, dropping a kiss into her hair and letting the silence settle around them again.

There were some tears against his skin, though she didn’t cry out loud and only sniffled twice. Will merely let her pull his arm more firmly around her and tapped gently the slow path she’d shown him years ago, starting with her forehead and ending a her collar when her breath evened. He gave her collar a gentle caress and breathed in the scent of her hair and skin as he followed her to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love domestic Will & Deanna. I had thoughts on where this was going, but then other things happened as I started to write it and it ended up being about 8 pages long. Hope you all enjoy. Thanks so much to all of you kind souls who have left such encouraging comments. I treasure each one.

Deanna Troi had not expected to wake up alone on the sofa bed in the lounge of the Potts family quarters. Although, she supposed, it was to be expected. Somewhere around zero-two-something Will had been called to the bridge. Red alert. She’d seen the lights flashing in the corridor when he hurried out toward the turbolift, hopping on one foot as he tugged on his other boot. She’d curled into the warm spot he’d left, hugging his pillow close as she had almost immediately fallen back to sleep again. She’d assumed he would be back and that she would wake up to the morning alarm.

What she _hadn’t_ expected was to wake up again less than twenty minutes later as everything shook. Whatever was going on, the ship shields were holding. And she needed to check on the boys. She’d barely managed to sit up when the ship shuddered again, the force causing her to tumble to the floor. Instincts kicked in, and she curled and rolled with it.

The carpeting on the deck was, thankfully, softer than the bridge. But it was the metal leg of the sofa bed that finally stopped her, leaving her with a tender shoulder from the impact.

“D-deanna?”

She called lights to low and could see Jake holding the open door frame for support, eyes darting around the room. “Are, um, are you both alright?” she asked, deciding that sitting was safer for the moment and rubbing her arm.

“Is the ship gonna explode?”

Deanna wanted to cry because he was scared, and she really wasn’t sure if the ship was going to explode or not. Carefully, she used her good arm to help herself to standing on rubbery legs. As she crossed the room to him, she took inventory: a few breaths, and her body was less shaky, her heart starting to slow from racing, and a sore shoulder that was a dull ache. Maybe a few other bumps but nothing serious. “No, sweetheart,” she assured, hoping it was true and knowing that even if she was wrong, it was better to act like everything would be fine.

What was it that Will liked to say? Something about fate protecting children and starships named _Enterprise_? She pulled Jake into a gentle hug with her good arm and glanced around the boys’ room. A sandy haired head peeked up from the far side of the other bed. “Willie, are you alright?”

“I didn’t like that,” he glowered, pushing himself up from the deck.

“I didn’t like it, either,” she agreed sympathetically. It occurred to her that the crisis had likely passed now. There had been no call to general quarters. No impact in the last minute or so. Around her, she could sense others that were as rattled as they were, parents assuming bravado, frightened children and concerned crew. But if they were under an on-going attack, another hit should've happened already.

Deanna took a moment to take stock of both boys. Jake was calming now and yawning widely. She beckoned for Willie to join them. “Are either of you hurt?”

“I fell,” Willie answered unhelpfully, though he wasn’t limping and leaned against her when he finally approached.

She gently stroked his hair, offering comfort and also knowing if he’d hurt his head, he would’ve said something by now. Bracing herself against the tenderness in her arm, she used both hands to feel over his shoulders and down his arms. “Arms and legs okay? Any cuts or bruises?” But it only earned a shake of Willie’s head. She was thankful that children were resilient.

“A bruise on my leg,” Jake had discovered one at his knee. He’d pushed up the cuff and examined it in the dimness.

“Full lights,” Deanna called, only barely managing to keep the sigh out of her voice. It was reddish but would turn colors by morning. “Willie, do you know where your parents keep their regenerator?” 

He shrugged and still clung to her, so she rubbed his back soothingly, knowing he needed comfort more than Jake needed a bruise mended. “Wh-where’s Will?” he asked, words muffled against the silk of Deanna’s nightgown.

“He was called to the bridge to keep us safe,” she murmured, and it occurred to her that this was exactly how she would’ve comforted her own child. How she might have comforted a frightened child that she and Will might have had. How she had comforted Ian, and her breath caught at the ache of his absence. He hadn’t even been human or Betazoid. An entity. But hers for a few days. Another pretend family that had felt entirely too real. 

This felt real. And she knew that when Kressler and Annika returned, she would miss this. She would miss the boys. The child against her shifted, his head bumping her shoulder and making her recoil in pain.

“We should call sickbay,” Jake said, coming to her side. “Where’s your communicator?”

“On the bedside table-- Jake!” she called, stopping him at the door. “It’s fine, we don’t need to call.”

“But you’re hurt,” he protested, arms folding in a way that reminded her eerily of Will.

“Not that badly,” she countered. When he started to call for the computer, she shook her head and ordered the computer to disregard. “I’ll go to sickbay tomorrow. They won’t be able to do much for me right now anyway. There will be other people with injuries that have priority. More serious injuries. Do you know where your parents have their regenerator?”

He shifted, clearly indecisive about whether to agree with her or put up further objections and glanced toward the main bedroom that lay beyond the lounge. “I don’t know where they keep it. They said we’re not s’posed to play with it. Dad usually uses it when we need it… I could maybe see if it’s in their bathroom?”

“Go take a quick look. If you can’t find it, that’s okay,” she decided, guiding a strangely quiet Willie to the lounge. She could sense the boys were shaken and might need something more before they would settle back into sleep. Or, at the very least, she needed something. It didn’t take much effort to order up three hot chocolates. But as she brought the first two to the small table beside the sofa bed, she could see that the youngest Potts had curled up in the tangle of sheets and pillows and had already fallen back to sleep in her bed.

Deanna pulled a blanket around him and settled in to sip her drink. With a slow breath, she extended her senses and almost immediately regretted it. Fear was easing, but it remained prevalent. There was some pain… disorientation… She was searching, trying to reach Will, but there were more decks than usual and so many more people awake…

“I couldn’t find it,” Jake was apologetic, and she could tell he was disappointed in himself.

She nodded toward the other cup and swallowed another sip. “Thank you for checking anyway.” There was a PADD nearby, and she used it to type a quick message to Will assuring him they were a little rattled but otherwise fine. She would see him at alpha shift. 

Jake was sporting a chocolate moustache already and seemed to be almost as calmed by the warm drink as Deanna. He had curled into a nearby chair and only paused to yawn between sips. When he had finished, he set the cup on the table and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “I don’t know how he can fall asleep like that.”

“He’s young,” Deanna answered softly, offering a small smile. “He didn’t fall asleep in his own bed, though.” She gave the younger boy’s hair a gentle caress, smiling a little more to herself as she recognized the gesture as one her mother had often used. “We all have different ways of coping when we’re frightened.”

Dark eyes watched her carefully. “ _You_ were scared, too?”

“It’s always a little scary when the ship trembles like that and we go tumbling about. And sometimes very scary,” she added. It was too early in the morning to reminisce. If she were really pressed, she would also admit that it wasn’t always the best thing to spend much time dwelling on the past experiences they’d survived. Many times she had been helped up from the deck after the ship sustained fire or other damage. Many of those times it had been Will helping her up. But the important thing was that they were alright. This was the risk they all assumed when accepting the assignment to _Enterprise,_ although it made her think again about the risks of children aboard.

And, she reflected, she would likely have a number of people to talk with tomorrow. Or at least check up on. There were a number of crew who had left after the Borg attack. Most of those had transferred to other ships that stayed in the alpha quadrant. Some had left Starfleet altogether. Most of the current crew were already shaking off the ship shake as another minor incident. With a slight shift, Deanna forced herself to come back to present. To the young man who was yawning hugely and blinking slowly.

“Do you think you can go back to sleep now?” she asked gently, pushing to her feet and crossing the space between them to offer a hug.

Jake leaned into the hug for a long moment and nodded. “Yeah,” he answered with another yawn.

“Sweet dreams, then,” she murmured, offering a gentle pat to his back as he passed by on his way back to his room. “And Jake?”

“Huh?” he asked, turning back.

“If you need anything, please wake me up, alright?”

His dark head nodded and he gave a ghost of a smile before returning to his room. Deanna managed to slide Willie a little further to one side of the bed before she curled into Will’s side of the bed. His pillow smelled like him, and she decided it was too late at night to analyze why it soothed her.

“Deanna?” asked a small voice.

“Right here,” she murmured, finding Willie's hand and giving it a light squeeze. “Go back to sleep, hmm?”

***

Willie had _not_ wanted to wake up this morning. He’d burrowed into the covers and held his pillow over his head. She always started the wake ups by walking in and calling for the boys to wake up as she set the lights to slowly rise to normal day-time settings. It was like its own little sunrise. And then she left and gave them five minutes. On most mornings, they were usually out of bed by the time she checked in again. 

This morning, she had been the first to wake up. Usually that was Will. He hadn’t returned, and she was sure he had been busy all night. Hopefully he had time today to rest. So she used the sonic shower and managed with her good hand to do her makeup and brush out her hair, then started attempting to wake up the boys.

So far, Willie had not budged from bed. Jake, on the other hand, was moving more slowly than usual. But he was moving. He’d dressed himself and brushed his hair, had his own breakfast, and was currently brushing his teeth. In the next five minutes or less, he would be on his way to his morning class. 

“Willie, I know you want to stay in bed. Are you feeling alright?” Deanna was sitting on the edge of the bed and was attempting to peel back the coverlet and sheet he had curled into. Already she was mentally adding a basic tricorder and regenerator to her list of things to track down today and keep on hand.

The bundle beside her grunted, but no other response was forthcoming. So Deanna took a slow breath to center herself and extended her senses. He was irritable. Which was obvious without her senses. He was, understandably, tired. She felt it, too, and she was tempted to spend the day curled up in bed napping and eating sundaes. But there was work to do, and they could all turn in early tonight.

Deanna tapped her combadge, knowing that if he really was sick, she wouldn’t feel bad for sending him off to classes. “Troi to sickbay.”

“It’s Beverly, is everything alright?”

“I know you’ve had a busy night, but when you have a few minutes, can you send a nurse up to the Potts quarters with a tricorder and a regenerator? We’re not sure where they keep theirs.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Beverly, it’s alright--” she tried to wave off the doctor, feeling like it definitely did not warrant the attention of the Chief Medical Officer, of all people.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” she repeated, emphasizing the last repeated words. 

Deanna crossed to the dining area and decided to finish her own breakfast while she ate. She’d opted for hot cereal that Will had introduced her to years ago. With some uttaberries and honey, it was a hearty meal. It gave her a few minutes to tend to herself. She wanted sleep as much as Willie seemed to want it. There was a distinct possibility that she would be asking Will if it was alright if she slept in her own quarters tonight.

By the time she finished her meal, she was seeing Jake off as Beverly was entering the quarters.

“You could’ve sent a nurse,” Deanna chided her friend. “I’m sure you had a busy night.”

“Only three serious injuries. About average in the minimal injuries department,” Beverly replied with a slight shake of her head. “The worst was an ensign in one of the storage areas. She was checking supplies, and ended up with a handful of injuries, but she’ll be alright in a week or two.” Her eyes narrowed at the way Deanna held herself stiffly. “Why didn’t you call sooner?”

The counselor pressed her lips into a thin line. “Because I knew you were busy with more serious injuries.It was non-urgent” When fingers gently pressed into her shoulder, she let out a strangled gasp and grit her teeth together in an attempt not to cry out again. “I-it’s tender,” she breathed once the touch eased.

“I can see _that_ ,” the doctor murmured wryly. She ran the tricorder around her friend and then reached for the regenerator. “No, ah, let me,” Beverly ordered firmly, catching Deanna’s hand and stopping her. She loosened the tie of the robe and eased the fabric from Deanna’s shoulder. It was clear from the reproachful look that she knew why Deanna had not yet brought herself to change into something work-appropriate for the day. “Not as bad as I thought, but bruising and torn ligaments. Go easy on it the next few days. And next time at least call for a hypo. You shouldn’t have been in pain for this long. The pain made you more tense, which caused further microtears. I could’ve and would’ve sent one of the nurses or techs up with a kit.”

Deanna nodded. She’d known that waiting had its risks, but at the time she hadn’t considered it would cause additional damage. “Well, I suppose I’ll have to cancel the paresis squares game tonight.” She took an easier breath as the hypo pressed to her neck and in moments the ache was turning into a distant memory.

“Sometimes I’m not sure who is a worse patient-- you or Will.” Beverly pointedly lifted the tricorder and a simple regenerator and set them on the table.

“Was he injured?” Normally it wasn’t a question that Beverly would be at liberty to answer. However, she and Will were each other’s primary contacts if either was incapable of making medical decisions for themselves. And as she and Will did all of the crew reviews and rotation anyway, there wasn’t much they didn’t know about what happened medically on the ship.

“Mild concussion. If he doesn’t follow my orders and cut his shift at least in half, I’m pulling him from duty. You can remind him of that.” Her fingers gently pressed against the muscles of her shoulder again, this time Deanna could feel the pressure but far less pain. “Now, I know you didn’t call me here for this shoulder, so let’s see if he’s sick or playing possum.”

Deanna’s head tilted slightly. “Possum?”

“Small terran mammal with less of a ‘flight’ reaction to danger than a ‘freeze and play dead’ reaction,” the doctor explained with a wink and a smile. She moved toward the sofa bed and let her tricorder run its scan and gave a short shake of her red hair. “Alright, the jig is up,” she proclaimed. “Humans don’t hibernate. It’s time to go to school.”

There was no response from the bundle. But Willie’s breathing was uneven enough that they both knew he was awake.

“Deanna’s shoulder isn’t strong enough to lift you out of that bed, but mine is,” Beverly warned, nudging him firmly enough to show she meant business. “I’ve had plenty of experience with boys not wanting to go to school.” At Deanna’s look of surprise, she shrugged. “It was a short phase.”

He shook his head, though he did roll over and a sandy haired head appeared, along with blue eyes. “I don’t want to go to school. Even if I’m not _sick_ , I don’t _feel_ good.” His eyes were bleary and hair sticking up in various directions, and he scowled as he rubbed his face.

“How does some breakfast sound?” Beverly asked neutrally. It was obvious she was still assessing him, though Deanna was trying her best to follow this turn of conversation.

Willie shook his head, the frown firmly in place. “I’m not hungry.” If Deanna hadn’t already seen the tricorder and its results indicating no illness, she would have been sure he was sick. He was always the hungriest of the two boys. Usually asking for a snack before dinner and before bed.

Beverly’s hand brushed his forehead under the guise of smoothing back his hair. “I’ll tell you what, I’m offering you a deal. You can come with me to sickbay and lay down in one of the rooms for a while and sleep. In a few hours, we’ll see how you feel. But after lunch you’re going to school unless my tricorder says you’re actually sick.”

The boy looked between both of them, gauging the response and clearly sleepiness continued to cling to him. After a long moment, his mouth twisted slightly. “Okay,” he sighed.

“Good,” Beverly decreed. She urged him to sit up a bit more and peeled back more of the bedding. “Now, you can either change into day time clothes or go get your robe and slippers. When you’re all ready, we’ll go to sickbay.”

He moved reluctantly but climbed down from the bed and disappeared into his bedroom. As he did, Beverly turned back to her. “Wesley had some days like this. I think it’s a combination of missing his parents, what happened last night, and exhaustion from lost sleep. And _you_ , counselor, need a good nap this afternoon. They’ll manage on their own for an hour or two after classes. You need some real rest and some time to yourself. And to do something fun in the next few days..”

“We’ve had a lot fun activities--”

A warm hand caught hers, and she angled the Betazoid to look at her directly. “Deanna, your serotonin and dopamine levels are low, and your psionic levels are heightened. None of them dangerously so, but in levels I don’t really like. You need something that generates some oxytocin. Something for you. That you enjoy. To laugh. And I cannot say it enough, to rest. And rest that shoulder, too. No lifting anything heavier than a PADD for two days and then work your way up..”

Deanna gave a small smile, shifting and testing her newly healed shoulder. “I miss my bed. A lot more than I’d care to admit right now.”

“You need to take time for yourself, too. I see this a lot in new parents. But they’re usually dealing with infants who are fully dependent on them for everything. These two boys are old enough to be responsible for themselves here and there. And they _do_ have friends they can stay the night with so you can go sleep in your own bed. That needs to start happening at least once a week.”

Deanna nodded and pulled her in for a hug. “Thank you… thank you,” she sighed.

“You’re very welcome,” Beverly murmured, giving her back a gentle rub of assurance and careful not to hold her too tightly. When the moment passed, she released her and then helped Deanna make up the couch before Willie re-joined them in his house shoes and robe with his stuffed bear. She gave him a nod and then tilted her head toward the door. “You’re with me. And you,” she nodded toward Deanna, “if Commander Riker is on that bridge ignoring my orders, remind him that I can bench him for a week if he pushes it.”

Deanna gave Willie a hug and saw them to the door. “I’ll be sure to put some healthy fear of medical restriction in him.” She turned now and squared her shoulders, determined to find a suitable wrap she could wear that wouldn't mean quite as much effort as her usual variations on a Starfleet uniform. If she was quick about it, she could still make it to the bridge on time for shift.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg this is soft and domestic. You've been warned.

It had taken a great deal of convincing to get Will to move away from tonight’s dinner plans. While Deanna wouldn’t exactly say they had _argued_ about it, they had certainly had a number of discussions about it. And she had eventually banned those discussions from the meal table.

_Although Will was off duty right now, Deanna had continued with her morning schedule the day after the incident. There had been four in-take sessions with various crew, all thrown physically and mentally by the events of the night before. Two of those had been held in sickbay. She had a mental note to check in with sickbay this afternoon to see how the lieutenant with the worst injuries was faring. For now, Beverly had kept her patient sedated, but in the next day hoped to ease that back. Deanna was sure she would be having some conversations with the younger lieutenant once she was conscious enough._

_Will had waited for her and was sipping something that looked thick and creamy. It hadn’t taken long for both of them to order or for their food to arrive. She was starting to savor the first bites of blini with caviar when Will began to share his newest idea._

_“I hope you can join us for dinner tomorrow,” he started, before taking another sip of his drink._

_Her eyebrows arched as she used the side of her fork to cut a delicate first bite. “Of course I planned to join you and the boys for dinner. We needed a night to rest, in our own rooms, but I thought you knew I was… that is…”_

_“You were planning to share a bed with me,” he finished for her, voice suggestive as it dropped low in tone and volume, eyes twinkling mischievously._

_“Yes, in a word,” Deanna retorted, primply beginning her meal and giving a surreptitious glance around Ten Forward. They were having a late lunch, in deference to her schedule and Will’s late morning nap._

_He nodded and drank a bit more. “Good,” he murmured, “Anyway, I thought it could be a fun night together. I want to cook.”_

_She took this in without commenting as she worked on her own meal, hunger really hitting and reminding her that it had been nearly five hours since her last meal. It was when no further words were forthcoming that she finally took a longer look at his drink and asked, “What are you drinking?”_

_“Vanilla protein shake,” came his idly reply. “It sounded good.” He shifted in his seat, relaxing further. “How do you feel about something… fun for dinner?”_

_Deanna considered this for a long moment before pressing, “Fun as in fondue? Or_ fun _as in having to break open my meal before I consume it? Or_ fun _as in deceiving my meal into thinking it’s getting its own meal and having to flay and cook it on site? I’m_ not _gutting fish for you, the boys, or myself.”_

_His smile widened. “No fish or hunting involved,” he assured, palm lifting to halt her train of thought. “And you love the crabs, and I cracked most of them open for you. You even had a mallet and everything for that one.”_

_“The spices were delicious,” she conceded. “And you still haven’t answered my question.”_

_“It’s rude to interrupt your conversation partner,” he teased in defense._

_She swallowed another bite of caviar and blini and gave him a leveling look._

_“Alright, alright… I was thinking… something exotic.”_

_“Such as…”_

_“Something a more… Klingon in nature.”_

_“I’m not eating any more gagh unless it’s diplomatically necessary so as not to offend actual Klingons. And I will not expect Jake or Willie to eat anything I’m not willing to eat.” Her tone had been firm and crystal clear._

A day and a few hours later, and they were not quite on the same page. “I’m just saying, it’s never too soon to start expanding their palates,” Will huffed as he worked on the dinner he’d finally compromised on.

Deanna shook her head and gathered her fresh supply of uniforms and moved toward a fairly empty corner of the closet in the Potts’ main bedroom that she and Will used to keep their things stored in. A night in their own beds had done them both a world of good, but she was still on limited lifting, and Will wasn’t going back to full duty until tomorrow. He’d had a mild headache this morning and had felt better until more recently. 

She had no objections at all to family dinner with Jake and Willie. Her objections were to his menu. They’d exchanged three communiques that day alone. And it had come up at dinner and again at breakfast before she’d put down her fork and told him, in no uncertain terms, that she was _not_ going to discuss Klingon or other _exotic_ cuisine during another meal she was doing her best to enjoy.

Two more communiques had followed, only the last starting to bridge their difference of opinion in this matter. _I merely think you were being overly ambitious in your expectations,_ she reminded him, not for the first time. _If you would start with something a little less of a stretch, it would go easier._

 _Gagh is an adventure,_ came his objection from a room away. 

It occurred to her that their ability to have these conversations had grown easier in the last week and a half or so. Now, though, she rolled her eyes and tucked away clean things. _We finally feel rested. I’m not about to deal with traumatized children because their supper tried to escape through their nasal cavities._

_Give me a little credit, I would’ve cooked it first._

_Not everyone is as much an epicurean adventurer as you._

_Says the woman who had oskoids and caviar at lunch yesterday,_ Will grumbled. _I promised to cook the gagh first, and I was willing to dial it back to heart of targ or pipiusclaw for the first meal._ With a huff of irritation as she rejoined him in the dining area, he stirred the batter in front of him with more ferocity than really needed.

“Imzadi,” she murmured softly, aware the Potts boys were finishing their showers after their early evening at the gym, “Do you have another headache?”

Blue eyes narrowed in irritation. They both knew it wasn’t a question. “Sorry I’m being a piece of _baktag_.”

Deanna gave his cheek a soft kiss and brushed back that ever-persistent stray lock that fell in his eyes. “I’m sorry you’re still not feeling like yourself. I know we both hate medical leave.”

“Yeah,” Will replied. “I had all of these great ideas for the holodeck, but between your arm healing, and this concussion…” He reached for the bacon and eggs and added them to the griddle he was working over. Medicine might have been able to heal him quickly, but there were still some mysteries to brain injuries. His headaches were minor, but his body was not yet finished healing itself and adjusting to the medical intervention from sickbay.

Deanna had already set the table, taking her time and trying to minimize the noise of plates and cutlery clattering. Now she was reaching for the hypo that Beverly had left with them. “Hold still,” she instructed, pressing it to his neck and feeling the tension between them ease within moments. “Klingon food might be a bit advanced. But I’m glad you thought of breakfast for dinner instead.”

“You’re just hoping for chocolate in your pancakes.”

Her head tilted slightly, and she gave him a pointed smile. You know the way to my heart.” The words were out before she’d really analyzed them.

He gave the eggs a quick scramble as he opted to keep it light, “I know better than to come between you and chocolate… although, I should make _you_ settle for regular, boring pancakes with only maple syrup after not going to sickbay as soon as you were hurt the other night.”

Her eyes rolled as she snagged a few berries from the pile he’d cleaned to use for toppings. “We took the same first aid and triage courses. It was a minor injury. The boys were upset, and I was able to sleep through it I would’ve waited for hours in triage.”

“You shouldn’t have to sleep through it,” he muttered to himself as he gave the batter a final stir. “You know I hate it when you’re injured.”

“That feeling is very mutual,” Deanna reminded, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. There wasn’t space for anything else because both boys were joining them now. Thankfully their usual noise level had been lowered because of a few hours of exercise. Tonight would be a family dinner and then they would all watch something together, and then bed right on time with any luck.

Both boys had ordered their own drinks from the replicator, juice for Jake and milk for Willie, and they were taking their seats. Will had settled the griddle on the table and was making pancakes to order. Currently he was in the middle of set of chocolate-laden pancakes for both Willie and Deanna and Jake’s was plain so he could add syrup and berries. 

“Are you guys gonna stay here tonight?” Willie asked around a bite of the eggs that already been scrambled as a sort of appetizer while the pancakes cooked.

“Yes,” Will replied, sipping his own cup of milk. Deanna was keenly aware that he wanted some coffee, but Beverly had forbidden him to drink caffeine for the next few days in deference to his recovery. “Just like before. We would’ve stayed here last night, but we both needed some extra time to rest and heal up.”

Their previous family meals had involved everyone talking about their day, but were usually followed by an activity. It was a testament to the recreational class in the early evening tonight that both boys had moved immediately to eating, rather than talking.

“Don’t forget to chew,” Deanna teased with a small laugh as Will began doling out pancakes and both boys began eating immediately. She gave a soft thank you to him before adding a little whipped cream on hers and some shaved chocolate. _Don’t you start,_ she thought toward Will.

He gave her a sly look. _Enjoy. It’s too rich for me._

She took her first bite and practically sighed at the decadence. It was warm from the griddle and just the right mix of cooked through, but with enough chocolate sauce to and cream to give it the texture of molten lava, with the cool of the cream and bitterness of the dark chocolate shavings. The textures were their own sensory experience.

Across the table, Will coughed suddenly and shook his head slightly before taking a sip of his drink and warding her off.

“Are you okay?” the question came from Jake.

Will colored slightly, though it might have been from the coughing, but he nodded and took another long sip of his milk. “Too big a bite,” came his weak explanation, though Willie didn’t seem to notice at all and Jake took it in stride. _You’re projecting too much,_ he protested as he took a moderate helping of scrambled eggs and resumed eating with smaller bites.

 _Sorry,_ came her sincere apology. _I didn’t mean to flood you._ It had been some time since she had done that. Although, to be fair, she didn’t think much about projecting these days. There were more species of beings aboard _Enterprise_ than other starships, but it was not as diverse as she and some of the crew might wish it was. So few species were empathic, and she knew from her time with her mother and occasional trips to Betazed that she was less in practice with keeping her thoughts to herself than she had been growing up on her home planet. She supposed it was the same with her emotions. Though rarely were she and Will as open to each other as they were these days. The accident the other night had only made them more in tune as they had checked in with each other frequently in the last two days.

“Is… everything okay?” the question came from Jake, and it occurred to Deanna that it was very quiet in the room. Even Willie was looking up, a too-large bite of pancake dangling from his fork in mid-ar.

“Yes,” Deanna answered. “I think we all must be a little tired.”

Jake’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he glanced between the adults. 

“Sometimes our mom and dad know what we’re thinking,” Willie said slowly, his fork lowering to the plate as he looked at first Deanna, who was watching him closely, and Will who was going on about eating as if everything were normal. “Are you trying to read our minds?”

It made her laugh, and she shook her head. “Have you learned about Betazoids in your class?”

“We learned about them last year, on the other starship we were on before this. Well, I mean, I guess we learned about you, that is,” Jake spoke up. “And about how they are tele.. Tel…”

“Telepathic,” Will supplied the word in between bites of his eggs and pancakes.

“Yeah, you can read people’s minds,” Willie added in accusation. He glanced at Deanna out of the corner of his eyes. “What am I thinking right now?”

She shook her head with a smile and swallowed her own bite of pancake and took a long sip of her juice. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, except that you are suspicious of me.”

“What’s _suspicious_ mean?”

“It means you don’t trust her or you think she might be tricking you,” Jake answered and glanced to Will, “Doesn’t it?”

Will nodded with a small smile as he took clear enjoyment in the boys finally addressing something they both knew they had wondered about for a while now. “More or less.”

“I certainly hope to regain your trust,” Deanna answered seriously. “While it’s true that _most_ Betazoids are telepathic, it’s rather like a continuum. Meaning,” she clarified before the question could be raised, “that some are very strong telepaths and others are not very good at telepathy, and a lot of Betazoids fall in the middle and are sort of good at it but not really great at mind reading. Sort of like… well, like one person might be very gifted in athletics, like Will. and other people might not be very good at sports.”

Will finished off his drink with a long sip. “Deanna’s mother is a very strong telepath. She’s very good at reading people’s minds. In fact, she’s even read Deanna’s thoughts while on a shuttle and not even on the ship, yet.”

Two sets of wide eyes turned in her direction. Both boys were a mix of nervous, and in Jake’s case a little embarrassed at the thought of having their minds read.

“I am not, however, a telepath,” she added quickly, finally getting to the point she’d wanted to clarify. “I’m half Betazoid. My mother is Betazoid, but my father was human. So I am a hybrid. Some hybrids develop telepathy, but that’s rare. In my case, I’m not a telepath. My mother and my mother’s family and other Betazoids can share their thoughts with me. But I can’t read or hear their thoughts unless they specifically share them. So you don’t have to worry about that. I am an empath, which means I can sense other people’s emotions. When they’re happy or sad or things like that. But I don’t always know _why_ they feel that way because I can’t read their thoughts.”

Willie knelt in his chair to better reach his plate and took another big bite of his pancake and chewed for a long moment. “So,” he began, gesturing with his fork, “our mom and dad aren’t reading each other minds when they finish each others’ sentences and stuff like you and Will do?”

Both adults shared a smile. _They’re on to us, Imzadi,_ Will thought in her direction. “Not quite. It’s just that… when adults, or really anyone, spends much time together and they really get to know each other, they can often anticipate or guess what the other person is going to say. Or what they think.”

“So it can feel like reading someone’s mind. When really, it’s because we know each other so well. Will and I have known each other for many years now, like your parents,” Deanna finished. She surreptitiously avoided looking at Will. 

Since they were both assigned to _Enterprise_ , they’d never talked about the telepathy they shared between them. They hadn’t discussed it at all since… well, since _before_. Since some time back on Betazed all those years ago. She hadn’t mentioned it to any of the crew. And now she vaguely wondered if it was something they should’ve have mentioned. Mentioned… to the captain? It had never impeded their duties. And she wasn’t aware of Betazoids ever having to divulge who they were bonded with. Many never bonded. This felt too personal to share, and she felt certain Will hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.

“Deanna?” _You okay?_ Deep blue eyes were watching her with concern. “I asked if you wanted another pancake.”

“Sorry,” she murmured around a bite. “It’s been a long day. No, thank you, I’m alright with my two pancakes.”

They lapsed into catching up on the news they had missed while the boys were sleeping over with friends. By the time both boys were stuffed with dinner, they’d caught up on the latest subjects and trials and triumphs of school. Willie had an upcoming diorama of a star system he needed to start in a few days, and which he planned to use some of his craft and art time to build, and Jake’s class was learning about oral histories and would need to talk with his parents soon to get some information to help him complete the project. Will and Deanna were already planning how to record the presentations to make sure their parents could watch.

Before long, they were cleaning up the meal and piling onto the sofa bed to enjoy something to watch. It was a children’s program that the boys enjoyed, and this latest was a retelling of some of the Bajoran myths. It didn’t take much for everyone to find a comfortable spot, and Deanna would be lying if she didn’t admit that it was even more relaxing to be stretched out next to Will and to let the cares of the day slip away.

*** **** ****

She woke to music and realized that the film had ended, and the rooms was otherwise quiet. To her left, Willie was sprawled like a space jellyfish and snoring softly. Beyond him, Jake had also lost the battle to slumber, though silently. Rubbing her eyes, she shifted, apparently enough to rouse Will because he mumbled something about the warp core before pushing himself up on one arm. 

“Wha?”

“We all feel asleep,” Deanna whispered in drowsy amusement. She rubbed her eyes and squinted at the screen that was now too bright in the otherwise dark room.

Will ordered the screen off, and his arms wrapped around her slowly, giving her time to object as he pulled her close. “Guess we wore everyone out today.”

“Mhmm,” she murmured, shifting to face him in the dark and smiling to herself at the contented mood settling around them. It took a bit of arranging, they were rusty after a night apart and many nights when they’d simply collapsed onto this bed, too tired to care exactly where arms and elbow and knees ended up. It was almost awkward, but charmingly so as his arm slid to her lower back and offered support as she cuddled close.

Warm lips pressed slowly to hers, and then his forehead brushed hers and rested there. “You didn’t explain this to them,” he observed softly, voice not even a whisper.

“Neither did you,” she countered neutrally, hand searching in the dark for his cheek and cupping it gently, tracing down to his beard. He was quiet and still, letting her explore, fingers stroking along his jaw before she leaned in again. She wasn’t quite on target, and her kiss pressed to one side before his hand cupped her head and urged her to her left and their lips met for a long moment. A breath, and lips met together again, his mouth opening so slightly in invitation.

Smiling, she shifted and let herself indulge in a long, warm kiss. It was his hand that got them into trouble, brushing her side and making her squirm and practically yelp in surprise as he found one of her ticklish spots by accident. _Will!_ She protested, though she had to bite her own lip to keep from giggling out loud.

One of the boys shifted and said something indistinguishable. And for a long moment, they both froze and held their breath. When nothing else was said and the room remained still, she relaxed against his side and fought another giggle. _Maybe we should’ve gone elsewhere to kiss._

_I wouldn’t object, but we probably need sleep at some point._

“How pragmatic of you,” she breathed, though letting him in on her amusement. Her arm wrapped across his waist, and Deanna settled on her side, arm resting across him and leaving her recovering shoulder in a neutral position. _Is this alright for you?_

The light pressure to the top of her head was his goodnight kiss. “It’s perfect,” he murmured, a smile in his voice.


End file.
